Dog Parks of the Metro with Charlie the Corgi, Part 2

Meet Charlie. Charlie is a 2-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Charlie loves: stealing socks, playing tug-of-war, drinking out of the bathtub faucet, and barking at dogs that are bigger than him (which is almost every dog). Charlie hates: German Shepherds (I don’t get it), not getting all the attention, being picked up out of the bathtub, and cleaning up after himself (so lazy).

Over the course of three days, my best friend and I traveled to four of the metro-area’s finest dog parks. Charlie is a high-energy pup that loves chasing other dogs in wide-open spaces. Dog parks (and the rides in the car to-and-from the dog parks) are the best things in the world to him, so he had a great time.

If you missed last week’s “Part 1,” go ahead and click here. Charlie and I analyzed a small dog park at David Stanley Chevrolet in Norman. We’ll eventually make it to all the dog parks in the metro, but this week we stayed in Norman to hit up a larger dog park next to Griffin Park. Here are the pros and cons of this neighborhood dog-hangout:

“Norman Community Dog Park” – Norman, OK

Unlike the David Stanley Chevrolet dog park that Charlie and I covered last week, this Norman dog park is actually conducive for mingling, taking a mid-day break and doing general dog park things. This park is located in the northeast corner of Norman, just north of Robinson St. and 12th Ave, and backs Griffin Community Park.

Griffin Community Park offers a long (and pretty difficult) disc golf course, a tranquil jogging/walking trail and playground equipment for the kiddos. There’s also a pond that sits across the parking lot from the dog park, so feel free to let your pups cool off on these upcoming, hot summer days. Thanks to all of these awesome surroundings, there is more to do than just stand in a fenced-in area and make awkward small talk with other dog owners. “What’s that? Your dog is a handful at home, too?”

Even though I now live in Oklahoma City, Charlie and I used to call Norman home; this dog park was a regular hangout for us. Charlie has made many friends at this dog park, both in the “small dog” and “large dog” sides of the park. Just a warning: if you’re weary about letting your small dog play with big dogs, don’t put him in the big dog side. There is always more big dogs at the park, and they always want to play.

PROS:

Different spaces for large and small dogs. They’re big spaces, too.

Close to a lot of cool stuff: A pond for the dogs to jump in if they want to cool off, a disc golf course if you trust your dog off-the-leash, and a long walking trail that’s both scenic and tranquil.

Being that it’s the only good dog park in the area, it can get crowded really fast. If you don’t like mingling or being around a lot of other dogs, try to go earlier in the day.

The pond isn’t suitable for all dogs (or for all parents). There’s no barriers, so if you’re scared that your dog isn’t a strong swimmer (or won’t come back to the shore for a while), this isn’t the pond for you.

Sometimes the water faucets don’t work. This has happened to me on multiple occasions. Remember to bring some water just in case.